In a way, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have a lot in common.
Both MLB clubs are battling for Wild Card bids in the American League, and both clubs are trying to overcome bullpen woes in the process.
If the season ended today, we’d get a Yankees/Red Sox Wild Card Game in the AL.
But there’s one key difference between the two teams: The Yankees are doing a much better job of overcoming their bullpen woes than the Red Sox are.
Let’s break it all down.
Yankees Succeeding In Spite Of Relief Struggles
The Yankees have several superstar relievers, but virtually all of them have struggled lately.
Aroldis Chapman has an 8.05 ERA over his last 23 outings.
Zack Britton has a -0.4 WAR on the year to complement a 5.89 ERA.
Chad Green has a 5.21 ERA over his last 16 appearances.
The craziest part?
It hasn’t seemed to matter.
New York has won 11 straight games and is 21-4 since the trade deadline.
The lineup is producing at an elite clip, and that has been more than enough to propel the team to a pivotal winning streak.
The Yankees are certainly going to want to get their bullpen situation ironed out before the playoffs come around, but right now, the club is rolling.
Maybe Wandy Peralta should get some consideration at the closer position in place of Chapman.
New York’s top preference would be for Chapman to pitch like his usual self, but he seems to be getting progressively worse.
Although the Yanks won tonight, I have now realized Aroldis Chapman is not going to just turn back into Aroldis Chapman again. That era is gone.
— YANKEES 2 2021 WS (@RuppertNYY) August 25, 2021
Peralta is a very intriguing option.
He hasn’t allowed a run in the month of August, and he has flourished in high-leverage situations all year long.
Why not try it?
Red Sox Barely Staying Afloat Amid Issues In Late Innings
Adam Ottavino and Matt Barnes served as a fantastic late-innings combo for Boston during the first half of the season.
Ottavino—working primarily as the setup man—had a 2.54 ERA, .199 opponent batting average, and .559 opponent OPS over his first 42 outings.
He was looking extremely sturdy.
But toward the end of July, he hit a wall.
Over his last 12 outings, he has a 7.15 ERA.
Needless to say, that’s not serviceable at all.
With Barnes, there’s a similar story.
He was named to the AL All-Star team in the first half after a stellar start to the year.
As recently as August 4, he had a 2.25 ERA.
But over the last few weeks, the wheels have fallen off the wagon.
He has pitched to an atrocious 20.77 ERA, .458 opponent batting average, and 1.510 opponent OPS over his last eight outings.
Those numbers are remarkably bad.
In that span, he has been charged with three losses and two blown saves.
Many folks are starting to think that he should not be closing ballgames right now.
What’s the excuse now? He has been getting a ton of rest and coming in save opportunities of more than 2 runs. Barnes should be OUT as the Red Sox closer.
— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) August 25, 2021
With very few options, the team could do the unthinkable and pivot to rookie Garrett Whitlock for the closing role.
That’s a lot of pressure for a first-year player, but he has been up for the task in tons of high-leverage situations this year.
A legit Rookie of the Year candidate, Whitlock has a 1.64 ERA, 2.71 FIP, and 1.11 WHIP over 37 appearances this season.
Perhaps he could be the answer to some of Boston’s late-inning bullpen troubles (at least until Ottavino and Barnes get back on track).
The Red Sox are currently protecting a two-game lead in the Wild Card race, and they can’t afford to let their foot off the gas pedal.
NEXT: Francisco Lindor May Be Returning Too Late For Mets